


A Secret Admirer?

by NekoVi



Category: Butlers: Chitose Momotose Monogatari
Genre: Flowers, M/M, Secret Admirer, butlers chitose momotose monogatari, butlers x battlers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-05-30 01:04:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15085628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoVi/pseuds/NekoVi
Summary: It starts when Shiratori Ren finds a bouquet of flowers on his desk, with no note or anything to indicate who it's from. Everyone else who finds out about it assumes it's some kind of secret admirer, someone who has a crush on Ren and finally has the nerve to act on it.Of course, that leads to the question of who it is, and if they're even a secret admirer at all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> SOMETHING THAT ISN'T BEYBLADE!? *GASP*.  
> It's true. I enjoyed watching Butlers Chitose Momotose Monogatari, and I got this fanfic idea. I decided it's now or never, and so I'm posting it. I actually have a couple more ideas for this show, some that might make there way into this fanfic. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Nya~!

“Oh my…”

Ren stares at his desk. On it rests a bouquet of about six flowers. Purple and white are the colors, and they’re tied together with a pale pink ribbon, that’s been curled into a bow. Written on the bow in what looks like sharpie is Ren’s name, so they must be for him. There is no mistake.

There isn’t a card with them. There isn’t anything to indicate who they’re from. Ren just stares at them, and then gently picks them up. He raises them to his face and sniffs them. They smell lovely, just like all flowers do.

It’s before school, seven thirty in the morning. The student council always arrives early in case any business needs attended to. So far, there doesn’t seem to be anything that needs done first thing in the morning. Ren simply wandered to his classroom for lack of anywhere better to be.

He’s suddenly very glad he did.

He leaves the room and wanders the halls until someone sees him.

“Shiratori-senpai!” Hotaru runs over to him and falls into step beside him.

“Good morning, Hotaru-kun.” Ren smiles at him.

Hotaru smiles back, and then notices what’s in Ren’s hands. “Where did those flowers come from?”

“I’m not sure. I found them on my desk this morning.” Ren glances at the beautiful purple and white flowers. 

“Someone left them on your desk?”

“Yes. There wasn’t a card or anything with them, either. I have no clue who gave them to me.”

“A secret admirer!” Hotaru beams. “Someone likes you, Shiratori-senpai!”

Ren’s eyes widen, and he blushes. “I highly doubt that…”

Haruto walks up behind them. “Why else would someone leave flowers on your desk and not tell you who they are? Sorry, I was eavesdropping.”

“It’s fine.” Ren stares down at them. “Someone with a crush on me?”

Haruto chuckles. “You act like that’s something crazy.”

“It is! Nobody’s ever had a crush on me before.”

“You don’t know that. Lots of girls have probably liked you; they just never said anything.”

Ren blinks, his eyes locked on the flowers. “I just… it doesn’t make any sense. If they like me, why wouldn’t they leave a note or something and tell me who they are?”

“They’re probably just shy!” Hotaru says.

“Yeah,” Haruto agrees. “They’re just nervous. Give it a day or two. Either they’ll send you more gifts, and maybe tell you their name, or they’ll give up and leave you alone.”

“You’re right.” Ren takes a breath, inhaling the sweet scent of the flowers. “Either way, I need somewhere to put these. I don’t think I can carry a bouquet of flowers around with me all day.”

“Give them to me!” Hotaru says. “I’m sure Satsuki-san can hold onto them for today.”

“Okay.” Ren holds out his flowers, but then hesitates and pulls them back up against his chest. “Maybe I should just head to the student council room and put them in a vase there."

Haruto gives him a nudge. “Oh, you like those flowers! You like that someone gave you something!”

“Of course I do. It’s a very thoughtful gift.” Ren stares down into the flowers again. “I can’t stop looking at them. They’re just so lovely.”

“That, and you wanna know who gave them to you.” Haruto looks over his shoulder. “Hey, J-san! Someone gave Shiratori-san flowers!”

Ren hides his face in the petals. “Haruto, don’t tell everyone about it!”

Haruto smirks at him. “Why not? It’s adorable.”

“We don’t even know who gave them to me! It’s not a big deal!”

J walks over and looks down at the flowers. “How thoughtful.”

Ren is still hiding his reddening face behind the blossoms. “It is, but I don’t know who gave them to me.” He lowers the bouquet and smells it again. “They smell wonderful.”

A couple of girls walk by, and stare at the flowers in Ren’s hands. “Who are those for?” one of them ask.

“You should be asking who those are from,” Haruto says. “Shiratori-san found them on his desk this morning.”

“Haruto!” Ren tries to hide his face again. Instead, he ends up looking down at the flowers that he’s holding against his chest.

The girls begin to squeal, and gossip, and try to figure out who would leave flowers on Ren’s desk. 

“Well it wasn’t me!” One of them says. “Was it you?”

“It wasn’t me, either.” Another one responds.

Ren stands there awkwardly for a while, until he remembers that those are living flowers that need to be put in a vase. 

“I need to go put these in water,” he says. He then walks away from everybody, slightly grateful that he gets some alone time.

He walks through the schoolyard, toward the student council room. Honestly, it should be called the student council mansion, since that’s essentially what it is.

“Who are the flowers for?” 

Ren stops, and sees Kurosawa Daichi and Sano Kyoichi, known around the school as Holmes and Watson, standing in the yard. They must have just arrived, since they both are still carrying their bags and wearing their coats.

“Actually,” Ren says, “They were for me. I found them on my desk this morning.”

Watson blinks. “Someone gave you flowers?”

“Yes.”

Holmes speaks next. “A secret admirer. Someone must have a crush on you.”

“Either that, or it’s some kind of thank you gift.” Ren is getting almost tired of people thinking someone has a crush on him.

“If it was a thank you gift, they would’ve just given it to you in person. They wouldn’t have left it on your desk.”

Watson chimes in. “Was there a note or card with them?”

Ren shakes his head. “Not that I saw.”

“Anonymously giving someone flowers,” Holmes fidgets with his earring. “It must be a secret admirer. Do you have any clue who might have given these to you?”

Ren shakes his head. “I need to go put these in a vase before they dry out.”

“Of course.” Holmes turns to walk into the school, with Watson right beside him. 

“I smell a case, Watson,” Holmes says, almost smiling. “We must figure out who gave Shiratori Ren those flowers.”

“That will be an adorable article,” Watson says. “‘Shiratori-san’s Secret Admirer.’”

“Turn around and take a picture of Ren with those flowers.”

Watson does as he’s told, and then stares at the image. “What kind of flowers are those, Holmes?”

Holmes stares at the photo. “I’m not sure. I don’t know plants well enough. We’ll need to find someone who does.”

“Hikari-san knows flowers.”

Holmes fidgets with his earring again. “Brilliant. We’ll talk to him later. For now, I need to focus on schoolwork before we can get cracking on this case.”

*

Ren continues through the schoolyard, questioning if he’ll even be back in time for class. The thought of being late makes his stomach cramp. He then shakes his head and dismisses it. He’s sure he’ll be back in time. It’s only seven thirty-five, and classes start at eight thirty. Not to mention, the student council mansion is on school grounds. It’s not like it’s miles away.

He can’t stop looking at the flowers. Part of the reason is that they’re beautiful, but the other part if it is questioning who gave them to him. The thought of someone having a crush on him is making his heart flutter. He can’t stop looking at everyone he walks by, wondering if they’re the secret admirer.

_ Maybe it’s her… no, I haven’t even spoken to her before. What about her? No, no, it can’t be her. She has a crush on Haruto. What about that girl? It might be her… _

He can’t stop questioning it. Every time he thinks about it, he feels his face start to heat up. So far, he’s had to answer the question, “who are those flowers for?” five times. Every time he says that he found them on his desk that morning, the first thing everyone jumps to is a secret admirer. It makes it hard to forget about the possibility of someone crushing on him.

In his three years of high school, he has never dated anybody. He never asked anyone out, and no one asked him out, either. Now, all of the sudden, in the middle of his third year, apparently someone has a crush on him. It seems random, out of the blue, but it must be true.

He finally makes it to the student council building, and takes the key out of his pocket. Every student council member has a key to the mansion; it wouldn’t make sense if they didn’t.

He walks inside, and starts searching through cabinets and such for a vase, or a glass, something to hold the flowers.

“Hey, what gives? I’m trying to sleep.”

Ren jumps, and nearly drops the bouquet. He whirls around, and sees someone standing there. “Dracula-kun, you startled me.”

“What are you doing up here? It’s not even eight o’clock yet.” Dracula’s eyes then land on the flowers. “Why do you have flowers?”

Once again, Ren is forced to answer the question. “I found these on my desk this morning. I need a vase to put them in.”

“Someone left you flowers? Why?”

The tone of his question is almost rude. Ren feels slightly offended. “I don’t know why. There wasn’t a note or anything with them. I don’t even know who gave them to me.”

“Oh.” Dracula looks sideways and points. “There’s a vase on that table over there.”

“Thank you.”

Ren walks over and finds the vase that Dracula was referring to. It’s the perfect size to hold the flowers, and once they’re resting in the vase with water, he turns to leave. 

Then he turns right back and looks at the flowers again. It’s so weird. They’re almost hypnotic; he’s barely been able to take his eyes off of them since he found them. He reaches out and touches one of the petals.

The purple flowers have longer petals, and appear to be individual flowers. The white flowers are tiny, four-petaled flowers in small bunches together, blooming on the same stem. Either way, they’re beautiful, and they smell incredible.

“So, you don’t have any idea who gave those to you?” Dracula asks.

Ren shakes his head. “No, I honestly don’t. I just walked into the classroom and they were laying on my desk.”

Dracula’s eyes flicker from Ren to the flowers. “Those purple ones are the same color as your hair.”

Ren grabs a strand of his hair and compares it. “Yeah, they almost are.”

“And those white ones match your uniform.”

Ren compares the sleeve of his jacket to the color of the flowers. “Yes, they do.”

“Someone really likes you if they went and found flowers that match you.”

_ Did Dracula…? No, no! Why would he give me flowers?  _ Ren feels his face heating up again.  _ Then again, he is here rather early…  _ His hand falls over his heart, which is starting to skip beats. 

“Dracula-kun… did you…?” Ren looks at the flowers, and then back at him.

“Did I what?” Dracula apparently can’t take the hint.

“Did you… did you give me the-?”

“WHAT!? NO!” Dracula makes a face. “Why would I do that!?”

“I don’t know.” Ren shakes his head. “Sorry, I’m just… very curious as to who left these for me. Why would someone do that? I still don’t understand.”

“Because someone has a crush on you.” Dracula crosses his arms. “I doubt I’ll ever get flowers, or anything like that. You’re really lucky.”

“I can’t… I just can’t fathom the idea of someone with a crush on me. It doesn't make any sense.” Ren still can’t take his eyes off of the flowers. “Nobody’s ever had a crush on me before.”

“Someone probably has. They just never had the guts to act on it.” Dracula starts to leave the room. “I’m gonna get back to sleeping.”

“You do that.” Ren stares at the flowers for a bit longer. Then, he forces himself to leave the student council mansion and go back to the school building. 

Once he’s back in the school, he finds the rest of his student council. By the time he gets back, it’s just after eight. Either the walk is longer than he presumed, or he was staring at those flowers for longer than he thought.

“Just watch, it’s gonna be in the school paper,” Haruto says. “‘The student council treasurer, Shiratori Ren, found flowers on his desk, and now the entire school is trying to figure out who has a crush on him.’”

“Haruto!” Ren finds himself blushing again, only this time he doesn’t have a bouquet of flowers to hide his face with.

“What? It’s the truth.” Haruto looks over his shoulder. “Hey, Holmes! Watson! You gonna write about Shiratori-san’s secret admirer in the paper?”

“Stop it!” Ren feels like his heart is about to explode.

“As long as it’s okay with him,” Holmes says. “We were thinking of including it in the next issue of the paper. Maybe it will help coax the secret admirer to come forward.”

Everyone looks at Ren. “Will you let him?” J asks. “It’s up to you.”

“Uh…” Ren has never felt more embarrassed, and there was a time not that long ago where he wasn’t completely sure how his Butler power worked and he accidentally…

Yeah, let’s stop there.

“Um…” Ren wishes he had the flowers. Maybe looking at them would help calm him down. “Sure. Go ahead. Write about it.”

“Wonderful.” Holmes fidgets with his earring. “If you don’t mind, it doesn’t have to be right now, but I would appreciate it if you would put those flowers back on your desk, exactly how you found them, so we could get a photograph. Also we’d like a photo of you holding them as well. Just for the paper.”

“Yes, of course.” Ren takes a breath, trying to calm down his pounding heart. “When were you thinking of taking the pictures?”

“After school today, maybe,” Holmes says.

“Tomorrow morning would be better,” Watson chimes in. “That way, we could get the morning lighting, and the picture would be almost exactly how you found them.”

“Great idea, Watson.” Holmes stares at Ren. “Tomorrow morning, then.”

“That sounds perfect.” Ren attempts to give him a calm smile, but his blushing face only makes it look like an awkward one. He just hopes it doesn’t look like he’s the one with a crush on someone.

“Perfect,” Holmes says. “We’ll speak to you then.”

Holmes and Watson walk away, their strides matching exactly. If they looked anything like one another, they could be twins. However, they aren’t related at all, as far as anyone knows. They’ve just been best friends long enough to the point where they started adopting each other’s habits and mannerisms. 

Ren shakes his head, trying to get the last of the intrusive thoughts out of his mind. This flower thing is really starting to mess with him, apparently. 

“We should head to our classrooms,” Ren suggests.

Haruto chuckles. “Be careful. You might find more flowers on your desk.”

“That would be so cute!” Hotaru exclaims. “If someone left you more flowers!”

“I don’t think that anyone would’ve had enough time to find more flowers to leave Shiratori-san,” J says. 

“J-san is right,” Ren says. “If I do get any more flowers, it’ll be tomorrow.”

“If you do get more flowers tomorrow, then leave them for Holmes and Watson to take a picture of,” J says. 

“I will.” Ren takes a breath. “I’m going up to class. I’ll talk to you guys during lunch.”

“See you then, Shiratori-senpai!” Hotaru says. He then happily heads down the hallway to the classroom.

“See you later,” Haruto says, waving over his shoulder as he walks away.

J gives him a nod, and then walks away, too.

Ren heads up the stairs, secretly hoping that there was more flowers on his desk, but also praying that there weren’t any. The school day hasn’t even started, and already it’s been so eventful.

Sure enough, when he gets up to his classroom, his desk is empty. He breathes a sigh of relief and sits down. He has nothing better to do; he might as well just skim over his notes. Either that, or continue that book he’s been reading…

Ultimately, the novel wins. He ends up reading it up until class officially starts, and he’s forced to put it away and listen to the teacher.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flowers might be a basic gift, according to some people, but it definitely means something when you receive them. It somehow means more when you don't exactly know who they're from. The curiosity just makes you wonder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again with Butlers. I don't know, the cutesy flower thing is just fun to write sometimes, when I need something lighthearted. I hope you enjoy it! Nya~!

Dracula is woken up by the sound of laughter. He opens one of his eyes to peer over. The student council is there. The school day must be over with already. He slept right through it, just like he almost always does. 

Their laughter is loud, obnoxious, and for some reason it hasn’t stopped yet. He can hear them all talking, but he can’t understand what they’re saying, because they’re all talking at once. Let’s just say, if you couldn’t see, you’d probably think there were fifty people in that room instead of four. Five, counting Dracula, but he’s not saying anything.

Eventually, he can’t take it anymore. “What’s with all the racket?” Dracula sits up, wondering what he missed. They are all laughing. Even J has a smile on his face. 

His eyes scan each member of the student council: J, Hotaru, Haruto, and finally Ren. That is when he sees why they’re all laughing so hard and talking so loud: Ren is standing next to that vase of flowers, which is now in the windowsill, as he apparently moved them in the span of the five seconds he’s been in the building. He’s staring right at them, with one hand over his chest and the other stroking the petals.

“Shiratori-san just sprinted in here to check on the flowers,” J says to Dracula. “He ran ahead of us the entire way here.”

Dracula snickers, and looks at Ren. “Were you worried someone stole them or something?”

Ren doesn’t even answer him. His eyes, and his mind apparently, are just transfixed on those flowers. It’s almost as though he has been hypnotized.

“Shiratori-san, seriously, what is your deal with those flowers?” Haruto walks up and stands behind him, staring at the flowers, trying to see what’s so captivating about them. “I mean, they’re pretty and all, but they’re just flowers.”

“They were a gift,” Ren says. “They’re special.”

Hotaru stands beside him and looks at the flowers. “They are really pretty, Shiratori-senpai. Someone really likes you.”

Ren smiles, and his cheeks turn pink. He then shakes his head and turns to the rest of the student council members. “We have business to attend to.”

“There’s the Shiratori-san I know,” Haruto says. “Come on.”

They all take their seats at their table, and Dracula lays back down on the couch. He tries to be silent, and allow them to start on their student council business, but he can’t hold back his sharp tongue. 

“In my opinion, flowers are a stupid gift,” Dracula says.

To his surprise, someone responds to his remark. “Why is that, Dracula-kun?” J asks.

“I mean, they’re pretty and all, but you only have them for a couple of days and then they just wilt and die.” Dracula sits up. “It’s pointless. Stupid. If you wanna give someone something, get them something that lasts.”

“What would you suggest giving someone?” Haruto asks.

“I don’t know, something that they’ll use every day. Something that they’ll see every day for the rest of their life, so they’ll remember you every time they see it. I’d see what kind of things they’re interested in, and buy them something pertaining to it. Like, you,” he points at one of them. “What do you like?”

“Me?” Hotaru thinks. “I like music.”

“Then maybe an instrument, or a book of sheet music. Something special. Something that the person can actually get some use out of.” Dracula lays back down. “Flowers aren’t special. For one thing, you can give just about anyone a bouquet of flowers. It’s not unique. For another thing, you give someone flowers, they feel all gushy-gushy for a day or two, and then the flowers die and they forget all about it. If I were to give someone a gift, I’d want it to be something important to them, something they’ll remember me for and be grateful for.”

“I don’t know…” Haruto snickers. “I think Shiratori-san is definitely grateful for those flowers. I don’t think he’s gonna forget them any time soon.”

Everyone looks and realizes that Ren isn’t sitting at the table anymore. They look and see that he’s standing next to the windowsill, where that vase with those flowers in it are sitting. He’s staring right at them again, touching the petals again. 

“Just watch,” Dracula scoffs, “he’ll probably cry when they start to die.”

“Shiratori-san,” J says. “We’re ready to start the meeting now.”

Ren snaps out of his flower-induced trance and goes back over to the table. “Of course, J-san.”

“Stare at them all you want when you get home, but we have business to attend to.” J takes a breath, and officially begins the meeting.

Dracula falls asleep during J’s speech. By the time he wakes up again, the meeting is over, and Ren is right back with his flowers again.

“You really love those things, don’t you?” Dracula says.

“Yes, I do.” Ren stares at them. “I wonder what kind of flowers they are?”

Hotaru stands next to him. “Go ask Hikari-senpai. I’m sure he knows.”

Ren smiles down at Hotaru. “I think I will.”

Haruto walks up behind them and puts a hand on each of their shoulders. “Don’t bother. I’m sure Holmes and Watson are already doing that for you.”

“I wonder if you’ll get more flowers tomorrow, Shiratori-senpai!” Hotaru says.

“I doubt it.” Ren takes a breath. “I’m sure it was a one-time thing.”

He picks up the vase, and raises it to his nose to smell them. Apparently, one sniff just isn’t enough, because he smells them again. And again. And again.

Dracula snickers. “You’re gonna get high off of those flowers.”

“Don’t forget to bring those back tomorrow.” J reminds Ren. “Holmes and Watson want pictures for the school paper.”

“Oh!” Ren chuckles. “I completely forgot about that. Thank you for reminding me, J-san.”

“You’re welcome.”

They all stand there in awkward silence for a while, until Ren speaks up. “Well, I’m going home. See you all tomorrow.”

“Me, too!” Hotaru smiles. “See you all tomorrow!”

Hotaru just walks right out. Ren, however, debates with himself before taking the flowers out of the vase and carrying them out of the room with him.

“He just loves those flowers.” Haruto looks at J. “Who do you think gave them to him?”

“I haven’t the slightest clue. Someone who knows him well, though. Well enough to know he likes flowers.”

“Who doesn’t like flowers?” Dracula says. “Give any girl flowers and-”

“Any girl?” Haruto asks.

Dracula smacks his forehead. “Oh my God.”

Haruto starts to laugh. Even J can’t help but chuckle. Dracula laughs at his own mistake, which isn’t something he often does.

“Give any _ one  _ flowers, I meant,” Dracula says, “and they’ll go all gushy-gushy. Flowers are the most stereotypical romantic gesture in the world.”

“Yes,” J says, “but Shiratori-san does have a love for the scent of flowers. Whoever gave those to him must’ve known that much, at least.”

“The colors also match him. Did you notice that?” Haruto says. “Those purple ones look just like his hair, and those white ones match his skin.”

“I thought they were closer to his uniform,” Dracula says. “Even Shiratori-san’s skin isn’t that pale.”

“Yeah, but he is about as pale as you can be without being albino or something.” Haruto leans against the wall. He then instantly pushes himself off it. “I’m going home. See you guys tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” J says.

Dracula reluctantly pulls himself off the couch. “Guess I better go, too. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Dracula-kun.”

They all leave the student council building, aside from J, who apparently lives there. Dracula walks rather slowly, not feeling like going home just yet. As he’s walking, he passes the greenhouse.

There’s Ren.

He stops in his tracks. Ren must be going to ask about the flowers. Seriously, what is his deal with them? Sure, it was probably a nice surprise out of nowhere to find them on his desk, but still. The way he can’t seem to take his eyes off of them, and the way he feels the need to hold them so close to his chest is just strange. He was like that earlier, apparently, since the student council just laughed at him when he ran to the building just to check on them. They’re just flowers. Why is Ren acting like someone gave him something expensive and important?

Dracula sneaks closer to the greenhouse, and is eventually within earshot. 

“They are lovely,” Ren is saying. “What kind of flowers are they? Hotaru-kun told me you probably would know.”

“Those purple ones are violets.” Hikari is speaking now. Dracula somehow recognizes his voice. “The white ones are alyssum.”

There is a pause, as Ren most likely smells the flowers again. “They smell incredible.”

“Alyssum has a very pleasant and distinct smell.” Hikari is silent for a moment. “Whoever gave you those flowers likes you, a lot.”

_ They’re just flowers!  _ Dracula can’t help but think.  _ It’s not like it was a marriage proposal! Why is it such a big deal!? _

“So I’ve been told, by just about everyone who saw me with these.” Ren pauses. “Where do you think they got these from?”

“I have alyssum and violets growing in the greenhouse. They probably got them from in here. Either that, or they bought them at a flower shop.” He pauses. “Those flowers are telling me something.”

“What?”

“They’re telling me that, whoever gave you those, thinks you’re beautiful.”

“Oh, well…” Ren is quiet for a bit. Dracula can practically hear him blushing. “Can the flowers tell you who gave them to me?”

“Sadly, they cannot. Flowers cannot see. They can only feel, and hear.” Another pause. “If you want those flowers to live longer in a vase, I have something that will help.”

“Yes, please. I want them to live as long as possible.”

There’s a pause again. “Here. Put this in the water before you put the flowers in, and it will help them live longer.”

“Thank you, Hikari-san.” Ren is quiet for another moment. “I’m sorry to keep bothering you, but… nevermind, actually. It isn’t important. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

Ren leaves the greenhouse, and Dracula dives behind a tree to avoid being seen. A moment later, he sees Holmes and Watson enter the greenhouse. He almost feels bad for Hikari at this point. The poor guy just wants to be alone with his flowers.

“Hikari-san,” Watson is speaking now, “we’re sorry to bother you, but we’d like to ask you a few questions, just for the sake of the school paper.”

“You can ask me questions. It’s fine.”

“Excellent.” Holmes takes over the questioning. “So, are you aware that Shiratori Ren received flowers, earlier today?”

“Yes. He was just in here, not that long ago.”

“He came in here? What for?”

“To ask me what kind of flowers he had.”

Dracula creeps closer, trying to get a visual. He then sees Holmes and Watson, standing in the greenhouse. Hikari is watering a bunch of flowers he has, lined up in pots on tables.

“What kind of flowers were they?” Watson asks.

“Violets and alyssum,” Hikari answers without even looking up.

“Can you give us a summary of the conversation?”

Hikari takes a breath. “Shiratori-san came in here. I asked him about the flowers, and he told me he found them on his desk that morning. He told me that he thought they were lovely, and then asked me what kind of flowers they were. I told him. That’s basically the conversation. I also heard the flowers say that whoever gave those to him thought he was beautiful, like a flower, so they chose to give him something that closely resembled his beauty.”

Watson makes an odd face, one that almost makes Dracula laugh. “Do you have any idea who might’ve thought that, and given him flowers because of it?”

“I’ve never noticed anyone staring at Shiratori Ren in a romantically fascinated way.”

_ You’re hardly ever out of that greenhouse. I doubt you noticed anything.  _ Dracula thinks.

“Do you know where they might’ve gotten the flowers?”

“I have violets and alyssum growing here. They either got them from here or bought them at a flower shop.”

Watson is writing everything Hikari is saying down in a notepad. Holmes is fidgeting with his earring. A moment later, Watson leans over and whispers something in Holmes’s ear, something that Dracula can’t hear. 

“Well, I believe that’s it for the questioning.” Holmes offers his hand for a handshake. “Thank you for your time.”

Hikari removes one of his gardening gloves, and shakes Holmes’s hand, and then Watson’s. “You’re welcome. Have a nice evening.”

“You, too.” Watson says.

Holmes and Watson leave the greenhouse. Once they’re out of Hikari’s earshot, they begin to talk. “Watson, that was brilliant of you. Shaking his hand so I could read his memories, why didn’t I think of that?”

“Thank you, Holmes. So, was there anything interesting in his memories?”

“For the most part, no. However, I did see a memory of him tying a ribbon around a bouquet of violets and alyssum. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the one who gave Shiratori Ren the flowers, though. He might’ve just been preparing the bouquet for someone else.”

“True. But in that case, he would know who did it, since whoever did give Shiratori-san the flowers must’ve gone into the greenhouse to ask him for them.” Watson pauses, allowing Holmes time to process that and think. “If that is the case, then why didn’t Hikari-san tell us who asked for the flowers?”

“Perhaps the person who gave Shiratori-san the flowers wants to remain anonymous.” Holmes touches his earrings. “Or maybe Hikari-san truly doesn’t know who gave Shiratori-san the flowers. Maybe someone sent another person to get the flowers for them, just so they could be further away from the trail? Or maybe they gave him an anonymous note, asking for the flowers?”

“Those are all definitely possibilities.”

Holmes meets Watson’s eyes. “We have a lot of things to consider. Let’s head back to my house and analyze the evidence.”

“Alright.”

They, too, leave campus. Soon enough, Dracula leaves, as well, having nowhere better to go besides his house.

* * *

 

“Welcome to the cafe de Wayne, how may I help you?

“Hello, Hayakawa-san.” Ren says, sitting down at the bar across from him.

“Oh, hello, Shiratori-san. It’s nice to see you again.” Hayakawa’s eyes land on the flowers. “What are those for?”

Ren smiles, and blushes for probably the fiftieth time that day. No matter how much he gets asked that question, he never gets tired of answering it, for some reason. “I found these on my desk this morning.”

“Well, they certainly are beautiful.” Hayakawa cracks a smile. “So, did you come here to put on the butler costume and help out, or did you come here for coffee?”

“Tea, actually, would be wonderful.” Ren looks down at the flowers again. “I don’t know why, but from the second I found these, I can’t stop staring at them.”

“They’re beautiful. It doesn’t surprise me that they’ve captured your interest.”

A moment later, the tea is served, and Ren tries to keep his eyes off the flowers for more than five seconds at a time. 

“Do you know who gave them to you?” Hayakawa asks.

Ren shakes his head. “No. Not a clue. There wasn’t a note or anything with them. The only thing I saw was my name on the ribbon, so I knew they were for me.”

“A secret admirer, perhaps?”

This conversation isn’t going to pause anytime soon. Ren sets down his tea and smiles. “That’s what everyone else thinks, too, but I can’t imagine anyone with a crush on me.”

“Think. Who at the school has shown signs of liking you?”

Ren looks at the flowers again, and smiles. “I don’t know.”

“Have you caught anyone staring at you, recently?”

“Well…” he looks back up at Hayakawa. “A lot of girls stare at the student council when we walk down the hallway together. I’ve heard people refer to us as the ‘pretty boys’ before. I think most of them are staring at J-san, though.”

“Has anyone blushed when you talk to them?”

Ren sighs. “A lot of girls blush when I talk to them. A lot of girls blush when any of the student council talks to them. They think we’re attractive. But I don’t think any of them think I’m attractive enough to give me flowers.”

“It might not be a girl. It could be a boy.”

Ren blinks. “What?”

“Sometimes, boys get crushes on other boys. It isn’t ‘the norm’, but it happens. A boy might be the person who gave you those flowers.”

There it is, that feeling of your face getting extremely hot. Ren just knows he’s turning red again. He turns away, and hides his face behind the flowers. “Hayakawa-san, did you…?”

Hayakawa shakes his head. “No, I didn’t. If I were to give you anything, it would be what you ordered off the menu.”

Ren sighs, and lowers the bouquet so he can see Hayakawa’s face again. “Sorry, I’m just… a bit desperate to know who gave these to me.”

“I understand. The curiosity would be piquing my interest, too.”

At that moment, Tachibana Akira comes out from the back room. “Hayakawa, could you….?” His voice trails off when he sees the flowers. “Where did those come from?”

“I found them on my desk this morning,” Ren answers. “Hayakawa and I were just discussing who might’ve given them to me.”

“Well isn’t that sweet? Someone gave you flowers.” He walks over and looks at them. “Those are beautiful.”

“They certainly are lovely,” Ren says. 

At that moment, the door opens, and a group of girls walk into the cafe. Their eyes land on Ren, and the flowers, and they instantly swarm over to him and start asking him questions about them. For example, if he knows who gave them to him yet.

As much as he tries to answer the questions, Ren isn’t sure how he feels about the attention he’s getting for the flowers. In fact, he feels almost overwhelmed. He finishes his tea, and then stands up. “Well, I better get home.” He digs around in his pocket and hands Hayakawa the money for the tea. “Thank you.”

“Have a nice evening,” Hayakawa says. 

“Yes, have a nice evening,” Akira says, “And good luck figuring out who gave you the flowers.”

“Thank you,” Ren says, smiling and blushing very awkwardly. Once again, he hopes it doesn’t look like he’s the one with a crush on someone. 

He then grabs the flowers off the bar and leaves the cafe, leaving the girls standing there feeling rather disappointed. They’re quickly over it, though, once Hayakawa gets their attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue how to write half of these characters. Lol. There isn't a lot of depth to most of them, so, yeah. That's why I just kinda skipped out on Akira. Ha. I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next one! Nya~!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the next day, and Ren finds something else left on his desk by his alledged secret admirer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! I hope you enjoy! Nya~!

Ren walks into the school the next morning with the flowers in his hands again. The pink ribbon is still tied around them, and they hadn’t begun to wilt yet. He can’t stop staring at them. He almost walked into a lamppost twice, because he was staring at the flowers.

They’re way too pretty. He can’t take his eyes off them. That, and the curiosity is starting to drive him crazy. Who gave him those flowers? He wants to know that more than anything else. It’s in the very front of his mind.

“You should check your desk, Shiratori-senpai!” Hotaru is walking beside him. He beams up at him. “Maybe they gave you more flowers!”

Ren smiles. “I should go look.”

They enter the building, and Hotaru follows Ren up the stairs to the third year classrooms. Once they walk in, they both gasp.

There is something on Ren’s desk. Whatever it is, it’s wrapped up in a small box.

“That doesn’t look like flowers…” Hotaru says.

“No, it doesn’t.” Ren walks over and sets the flowers down next to the box. “I should let Holmes and Watson get a picture, before I open it.”

“What’s going on?” Haruto is standing in the doorway. “Did Shiratori-san get more flowers?”

“Not flowers this time.” Ren picks up the box and shows it to Haruto. “Someone left this.”

Haruto takes it out of Ren’s hand and inspects it. “It’s got your name on it. It must be for you.”

“Are Holmes and Watson here yet?” Hotaru seems more excited than Ren does. “They need a picture before Shiratori-senpai can open it!”

“I think I saw them. I’ll go get them.” Haruto leaves the room, leaving Ren there to stare at the box and wonder what on Earth could be inside. A moment later, Holmes, Watson, and Haruto return to the room.

“Set those back on the desk,” Holmes tells Ren.

Ren does, and then steps back to let Watson take the photo.

“Perfect,” Watson says, snapping the picture on his cell phone. “Now, grab those gifts and stand right there.”

Ren does, and then awkwardly attempts to smile naturally as Watson takes a picture of him. They have to redo it five times before Ren is satisfied with how it turns out. 

“Shiratori-senpai! Open the package!” Hotaru says. 

Ren looks at the box. He almost doesn’t want to open it, for some reason. Wondering what’s inside seems to satisfy him more than knowing. However, everyone around him is curious, and it seems like they won’t give him a say in the matter.

Ren sets the box on the table. It’s just a small white box, tied with the same pink ribbon as the flower. When Ren moves the ribbon to untie it, however, Holmes stops him.

“Wait!” 

Ren jumps and releases the ribbon. “Why?”

“What is it, Holmes?” Watson asks.

“Handwriting. Maybe we can analyze it and figure out who wrote your name on that ribbon.” Holmes gently lifts up the end of the ribbon and inspects it. “Once you open that box, give me it.”

“Okay.” Ren unties the ribbon carefully, as not to smudge the handwriting in case Holmes actually can use it to figure something out. He carefully opens the lid, and stares.

“What is it?” Hotaru asks.

“It’s a ring…” Ren says. He pulls it out of the box. A silver band with a purple jewel in the center.

“Someone gave you a ring,” Watson says. “Put it on your finger and let me take a picture of your hand.”

Ren slips the ring onto his middle finger, and Watson takes a picture of his hand. He hands Holmes the ribbon as well.

“We’ll just need to get handwriting samples.” Holmes starts staring at it. “I don’t recognize it off the top of my head, but I don't spend my time staring at people’s handwriting.”

“Why don’t you ask a teacher if they recognize it?” Haruto suggests. “They have to grade student assignments, so they might know it.”

“Good idea,” Holmes says. “Well, we have everything we need. Your story should be in the next issue of the paper. Come on, Watson.”

They leave the room, leaving Ren staring at both the flowers and the ring now.

“You’re going to be staring at that thing all day,” Haruto says. “God, you’re lucky. Someone keeps giving you stuff.”

“I don’t feel lucky…” Ren stares at the ring and watches it sparkle. “I feel… I don’t quite know, actually.”

“Loved?” Hotaru suggests.

Ren smiles. “Yes. I feel loved. But also overwhelmed. Someone went out and spent money on this for me, and I don’t even know who’s doing it.”

“Well, hopefully Holmes and Watson can figure it out for you.” Haruto looks at the ring. “Maybe seeing a story in the paper will make the admirer admit to it.”

“Or it’ll keep them from admitting it.” Ren sighs. “What if it just embarrasses them?”

“Well, maybe Holmes and Watson can use their detective powers and find out who’s giving you things.” Haruto looks at the door. “Hey! J-san! Check this out!”

J walks over, and notices the ring on Ren’s finger before anyone says anything about it. “Your secret admirer left you that ring, I’m guessing?”

Ren’s cheeks turn red, and he lowers his head to hide his face. “Y-yes.”

“Someone really likes you, Shiratori-san.”

“Who?” Ren stares at the ring. “I really want to know who.”

“I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough.” J stares at him for a while, until Ren finally looks up and meets his eyes. “Your secret admirer can’t hide forever.”

“Stop saying ‘secret admirer’.” Ren looks away again, blushing and smiling. “It makes it sound like I’m living a romance movie.”

“You are!” Haruto bends down and throws his arm over Ren’s shoulders. “You’re literally living out a romance movie right now. A secret admirer is leaving gifts on your desk.”

“Yeah!” Hotaru bends down and smiles at Ren. “And then someday they’re going to leave a note in your locker and tell you to meet them somewhere, like on the roof!”

Haruto grins. “And then you’ll get up there, and they’ll be waiting by the railing, staring at the sunset. They’ll turn around, and smile all shy at you, with the sun shining behind them, making them glow golden like an angel. They’ll see you and turn away, blushing and smiling. You’ll ask if they left the note, and they’ll say yes. You’ll ask if they left all the gifts, and they’ll say yes. You’ll ask them why-”

“And then they’ll look at you and tell you that they love you!” Hotaru finishes.

Ren’s entire face is bright red. “I don’t think that will happen, sadly.”

“Of course it will!” Hotaru grins at him. “Someone loves you, Shiratori-senpai! It would be stupid if they didn’t tell you!”

“Yeah,” Haruto stands upright and looks down at him. “They would miss out on an awesome guy. It’s your last year here; it’s now or never.”

“I suppose you’re right about that.” Ren stares at the flowers. “Where am I supposed to put these? I don’t have time to run to the student council house today.”

“Give them to me,” Haruto takes them before Ren can say anything. “I’ll run them down there. I can risk being late to class. I haven’t had a tardy all year.”

“What’s happening, guys?”

Everyone turns and looks at the door. “Dracula-kun!” they all exclaim.

“Well, well,” Haruto chuckles. “This is the first time you’ve ever set foot in here. Tell me, do you like this school building? Isn’t it nice?”

“Shut up.” He looks at the flowers and sighs. “You brought those back here? Seriously? You can’t let go of them for a day?”

“Holmes and Watson needed a picture of them for the paper.” Ren takes his flowers out of Haruto’s hands and holds them close to his chest. “They’re so lovely. I don’t have time to take them to the student council building, though. I don’t know what I’m going to do with them.”

“Hand them over.” Dracula holds out his hand. “I’ll take them down there for you. It’s not like I plan on doing anything else besides going there anyway.”

“You won’t hurt them, will you?” Hotaru demands, giving Dracula an angry pout.

“No.” Dracula looks at Ren. “I’ll just go stick them in a vase like you want me to.”

Ren hesitates, and then hands Dracula his bouquet. “You better do what you say you’re going to do.”

“I will, I will! Jeez, you’re all so protective over these stupid flowers.” With that, Dracula leaves the room, Ren’s flowers held tightly in his fist.

Ren wishes he could spy on Dracula, but he can’t. He instead starts going over his notes while everyone else goes to their respective classrooms. By the time the bell rings, the flowers had almost completely left Ren’s mind.

The ring, however, did not.

Ren found himself staring at it while he was supposed to be paying attention to the teacher. He would zone out, watching the jewel sparkle, and completely miss what the teacher said. It wasn’t like him to not pay attention, but he couldn’t help himself. The ring was mesmerizing. He probably should’ve given that to Dracula, too, along with the bouquet. 

Ren eventually pulls the ring off his finger and stuck it in his pocket, so he wouldn’t get distracted. However, that plan failed. He would glance at his pocket, or feel in it to make sure the ring was still there. No matter what he did with that ring, it always managed to distract him somehow, and by the time class was over, he had missed more than half the lecture because of that ring distracting him. 

Whoever keeps giving him gifts must know exactly the kind of things that captivate Ren. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, another gift. A ring this time. I wonder if he'll get anything else? I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next chapter! Nya~!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The school day ends, and Ren couldn't take his eyes off his ring all day.   
> Holmes and Watson are still trying to figure out who Ren's admirer is, and they discover something interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter for this! Not a lot of people read it, but for the few that do, thank you so much! This story is a lot of fun to write, and trying to figure out these characters is... interesting, to say the least. I hope you enjoy! Nya~!

The school day ends. While everyone else is wandering the hallways looking for the cleaning supplies to clean the school, the student council is heading down toward their building to conduct their own business. While they’re walking there, Haruto can’t help but notice the way Ren is staring at the ring on his finger.

“You’ve been staring at that all day, I’m guessing?” he asks.

Ren doesn’t answer him. He’s too focused on the ring. He keeps tilting his finger just to watch the jewel sparkle. He looks like he’s been hypnotized by it.

“Whoever keeps giving Shiratori-san stuff knows exactly the kinds of things that capture his interest,” J says, giving an almost amused smile at Ren.

“That is a pretty ring, Shiratori-senpai,” Hotaru says, looking at the sparkling purple jewel.

“It’s worse than the flowers,” Haruto says. “At least we were able to tear him away from those. If we rip that ring off his finger he’s going to get mad at us.”

Eventually, they arrive at the student council building. J unlocks the door and lets them in. The door slams shut behind him, waking up the only person inside.

“Ugh! Is the school day over already?” Dracula groans. He sits up, stretches, and then instantly falls back down. 

“Yeah, it is, and Shiratori-san hasn’t been able to take his eyes off his ring all day,” Haruto says with a chuckle.

“What? What ring?” Dracula sits up. He looks at Ren, who is still transfixed by the ring on his finger. Dracula walks over to him and grabs his hand so he can look at it. “Where did this come from?”

“His secret admirer!” Hotaru says with a grin.

“His secret admirer?” Dracula stares at the ring. “Now  _ this  _ is a gift! Something that won’t die after two days!” Dracula smirks. “This ring is the real deal. That’s sterling silver and a real amethyst crystal. Someone spent some money on this thing.”

“Did they really?” Ren feels his heart pounding. 

“Yeah, and quite a bit based on the look of that ring.” Dracula sits back down and crosses his arms. He leans back against the couch, that smirk still on his face. “Someone really likes you.”

“Oh my gosh.” Ren seems twice as hypnotized by that ring as he did before. 

“Shiratori-san,” J says. “We have student council business to attend to.”

Ren’s mouth is hanging open and his eyes are wide. He twists his wrist this way and that, trying to see which angle makes the ring sparkle the most. 

“Shiratori-san,” J says. “Shiratori-san, we have business to attend to.”

“Shiratori-san,” Haruto says. “Yo, Shiratori-san!”

“Shiratori-senpai!” Hotaru grabs his arm. 

“Oh!” Ren finally looks at his fellow student council members. “Sorry. Let’s get to business.”

Finally, the meeting starts, and Dracula tries to fall back asleep. Unfortunately, he can’t, because at least once every two minutes someone has to yell, “Shiratori-san!” to keep Ren from getting lost in his ring.

Halfway through that meeting, Ren remembers the bouquet of flowers that he gave to Dracula, yet still hasn’t seen. “Dracula-kun, where are my flowers?” Ren asks.

Dracula sits up and blinks. “What?”

“Where are my flowers, Dracula-kun? I gave them to you, remember?”

“Oh, yeah. I gave them to Hikari.”

“Oh. Any reason you did that instead of just bringing them here and putting them in that vase?”

“I figured Hikari would take better care of them than I would.” Dracula rolls over. “Your flowers are fine. It’s not like I burned them.”

Ren audibly gasps. “Why would you ever do that!?”

“Exactly.”

Haruto snaps his fingers. “Shiratori-san, you can check on your flowers when the meeting is over.”

“Right, right.” Ren takes a breath and focuses on student council matters again. “I promise, I’ll stay focused this time.”

That promise doesn’t last very long, since someone has to say, “Shiratori-san!” less than thirty seconds after Ren made that promise.

Dracula growls and rolls over, wishing he could sleep forever and not have to worry about being woken up by someone shouting Ren’s name.

* * *

 

“Watson, check this out.” Holmes waves his partner over. He’s sitting at one of the tables in an empty classroom, with nothing but his partner, his laptop, and the several pieces of evidence he was able to gather: photographs, and the two ribbons. One of those ribbons had been the one to tie the flowers together. The other ribbon was from the box that contained the ring Shiratori-san had received that morning.

“What is it, Holmes?” Watson asks, stepping over and standing next to Holmes’s chair.

“These two ribbons.” Holmes spreads the ribbons out on the table. “They’re both pink, and they’re both the same kind of ribbon you’d find in the art room, but look at the handwriting.”

Watson leans over the table and inspects the handwriting. Right away, he notices what Holmes had noticed. 

“The handwriting is different,” Watson says.

“Precisely.” Holmes stares down at the ribbons. “The writing on the flower ribbon is much neater than the writing on the box ribbon. And look even more closely. There are clear distinctions in the markings. The writing was done with two different markers; I’m almost certain of it.”

Watson stands upright again, and looks down at his partner. “So, what conclusion can you draw from that?”

Holmes takes a breath. “Shiratori-san is probably going to be very shocked to hear this, but the only logical conclusion that I can draw is that the gifts came from two different people.”

Watson blinks. “Are you suggesting that Shiratori-san may have  _ two  _ secret admirers?”

“That is a possibility. There is also, of course, the possibility that Hikari may have lied to us, and someone may have asked  _ him  _ to write Shiratori-san’s name on the ribbon for them when they got the flowers. And then later, when they got the ring, they had the courage to write it themselves. Personally, though, I believe that the theory of him having two secret admirers is a bit more plausible.”

“If he has two secret admirers, then this case just got a lot harder to crack.” Watson sighs. 

“Now, now, Watson.” Holmes gives him a stare. “Just because it’s a little more difficult doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Just because we encountered a challenge doesn’t mean we’re going to give up. We’re cracking this case. The next issue of the school paper should be out by this Friday, and that means the admirer is going to see that we mean business.”

Watson smiles. “You’re right. Let’s get to work. So, the handwriting is different. What else?”

“I’ve been asking the teachers, and none of them recognize the writing on the ring. It’s as if that person doesn’t even go to our school.”

Watson blinks. “If they don’t go to our school, then how did they know where Ren’s desk is?”

“Precisely. That’s where things get a bit strange.” Holmes takes a breath. “As for the writing on the flowers, there are several teachers who think they know who’s writing it is. They believe it’s Hikari-san’s writing.”

“So, what does that mean?”

“Either he’s the one who gave Shiratori-san the flowers, or he wrote Shiratori-san’s name on the tag for the person who gave him the flowers.”

“So either he’s the admirer, or he’s working for the admirer?”

“Precisely. If the second one is true, then Shiratori-san only has one admirer, and my theory of two is proven false. If the first one is true, then we know who gave Shiratori-san the flowers, but we don’t know who gave him the ring.”

“Either way, there’s still more of the mystery that needs solved.”

“Exactly.” Holmes pauses to think.He then stands up and grabs the ribbons. “We should go interrogate Hikari-san.”

Watson takes a step backwards. “Right now?”

“Of course right now.” Holmes meets his eyes with a serious, determined stare. “We don’t want to waste any time.”

“Right!” Watson smiles. “Lead the way, Holmes.”

Holmes and Watson leave the school and walk toward the greenhouse. Once they arrive, Holmes suddenly stops, and puts his arm out to stop Watson. 

“I don’t believe it.” Holmes creeps over to the greenhouse and peers through the window.

Watson leans over Holmes’s shoulder, awkwardly attempting to see what he’s seeing. “What is it, Holmes?”

“Shiratori-san is in there, talking to Hikari-san.” Holmes steps away from the greenhouse to avoid being seen. “We can’t question him now. The most we can do is spy.”

“Do you think spying will help us crack the case any quicker?”

“It might. There might be clues lurking in their conversation. However, it won’t be very useful unless I can hear what they’re saying. If we were to spy, we’d have to get inside of the greenhouse somehow.”

Holmes and Watson look at each other. Both of them look like they would rather do anything else than attempt to sneak in somewhere and eavesdrop on a conversation, but their desperation to solve this case overrides their common sense. 

They crouch low to the ground, and start crawling toward the door to the greenhouse. A moment later, they’re inside, and hiding behind a giant shelf of pots and trowels in order to hear what Hikari and Ren are talking about.

“... something that resembles you.” Hikari finishes off a sentence that they didn’t get to hear the beginning of. 

“That’s so sweet.” Ren looks like he’s lost in La-La-Land as he stares at his flowers. “Did they tell you anything else?”

“No,” Hikari is looking at Ren, though Ren can’t see him staring. 

“That’s disappointing.” Ren smiles, though it’s impossible to tell if he smiled at Hikari or the flowers. “I was hoping there was more.”

“Actually…” Hikari stands up and walks over to Ren. He stands next to him, and starts touching the petals of the violets. “They are saying something else.”

“What are they saying?” Ren asks.

“They’re saying that the person who gave them to you was muttering to themselves as they walked toward the classroom.” Hikari stares at the flowers so intensely it was like he was trying to move them with his mind. “They were nervous, worried you would figure out who they were. ‘What if he knows it was me?’ they were asking. ‘What if he knows it’s me, and so he doesn’t like the flowers?’”

“Well, that’s good news for them,” Ren smiles. “I love the flowers, and I have no clue who gave them to me.”

“The flowers love you, too.” Hikari almost smiles; the corners of his mouth twitch upward, and then fall back down. “Whoever gave them to you was gripping at the stems very tightly. They were trembling. Their hands were sweaty. They stuttered while they talked to themselves. They held the flowers against their chest. Their heart was pounding. They were breathing very lightly and rapidly.”

“They were that nervous?” Ren stares at the flowers. 

“Extremely nervous. At least, that’s what the flowers are telling me, and flowers can’t lie.” Hikari then looks at Ren’s hand, and notices the ring. “Not that I stare at your hands when you come in here, but I don’t remember you having that ring when you came in here yesterday.”

“Oh, this?” Ren stares at the ring and smiles. “Another gift from my admirer. They left this on my desk this morning.”

Hikari stares at the ring in silence for a minute before speaking again. “That ring resembles you just like the flowers do. That jewel matches your hair just like the violets.”

Ren grabs a strand of his hair and compares it to the gemstone. “It’s purple, but I don’t think it’s quite the same color as my hair.”

“I’m sure it’s as close as they could get. There’s only so many colors for gemstones. With flowers, you have every color in the rainbow and then some.” Hikari looks at the flowers again. “And that silver band matches you, too, in a way I can’t quite put into words.”

“Silver does suit me, I suppose.” Ren cracks a smile. “I just want to know who keeps giving me gifts. I feel like I need to repay them, but I can’t if I don’t know who it is.”

“If they’re giving those to you anonymously, then I don’t think they expect to be repaid. I think that the thought of giving you gifts is enough to make them happy.” Hikari focuses on his own flowers. He then stands upright. “My flowers are telling me someone’s in here that isn’t supposed to be.”

At that moment, Holmes feels like his entire world turned upside down.

_ WHAT THE HELL!? HOW DID HE KNOW WE WERE IN HERE!?  _ Holmes wants to scream, but he forces himself to remain silent.  _ CAN HE ACTUALLY TALK TO FLOWERS OR SOMETHING!? BECAUSE THAT’S CREEPY! _

Ren turns around and starts looking back and forth. Hikari, however, starts walking right toward the shelf that Holmes and Watson are crouching behind.

“We’re dead,” Watson whispers.

“We are not dead,” Holmes whispers back.

Hikari looks behind the shelf. “What are you two doing in here!?”

Holmes takes a breath. “About that.” He stands up and brushes dirt and cobwebs off his shirt. “Watson and I were hoping we could ask you a few questions.”

“Why were you two hiding, then?” Ren asks, still standing next to the vase that contained his flowers. 

“Uh…” Watson struggles to think of something. “We didn’t want to bother you two.”

“You could’ve just walked away,” Hikari says. “Why did you come in here and hide behind a shelf?”

“We wanted to see if there were any clues hidden in your conversation,” Holmes says. “And based on how detailed your description of the admirer walking toward the classroom, I believe you know a bit more than you’re letting on.”

“I was just repeating what the flowers told me,” Hikari says, turning away from them. “You two need to leave. I’m talking to Shiratori-san.”

“It’ll be quick, I promise.” Holmes reaches into his pocket and touches the ribbon. “If you wouldn’t mind answering this, did you write Shiratori-san’s name on the ribbon that was tied around the flowers? The handwriting on the flowers and the ring doesn’t match.”

“It doesn’t?” Ren walks over. Holmes hands him the ribbons, and Ren stares at them. “It doesn’t!”

“Yes, I did write his name on that ribbon,” Hikari says. 

Holmes perks up instantly. “Why? Why did you write the name?”

“Someone asked me to write it for them.”

Ren’s eyes widen. He turns and stares at Hikari with a look of curiosity and wonder. “Wait, that would mean… you know who my admirer is!?”

At that moment, the world stops spinning. Holmes, Watson, and Ren all stare at Hikari and wait for him to speak, wait for him to admit that he does know who the admirer is. Wait for him to tell them the name of the person who gave Ren the ring and the flowers.

Hikari shuts his eyes and sighs. “Shiratori-san…”

“Who!? Who is it!?” Ren’s hands fall over his chest as he waits, unable to contain himself. “Who gave me the flowers!?”

“Tell us, Hikari-san,” Holmes says. “There’s no point in hiding it.”

Hikari opens his eyes. He stares at everyone. They’re all looking at him like he’s about to reveal the biggest secret of the universe. He shuts his eyes again, unable to focus when they’re all staring at him like that. 

“They wouldn’t like it if I told you,” Hikari says eventually.

“Come on! I won’t tell!” Ren is so desperate to know that he’s practically begging. “And those two won’t say a word about this in the school paper! Right?”

“Uh, right!” Holmes says. “Just tell us. It’s just for the sake of the case. I won’t publish the name in the school paper. I’ll just say that you said someone asked you to write the name on the ribbon, and that’s why the handwriting doesn’t match. I won’t say a word about who the person is or that you told us.”

“Now please tell us!” Watson says. 

Hikari’s eyes are still shut. He takes a breath, and then lets it out without saying anything. He does this several more times, enough to the point where the anticipation is killing the three people waiting for his response.

After way too long, he finally speaks.

“The flowers want you to leave.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CLIFFHANGER. Lol. Until the next one! Nya~!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren now knows who gave him the flowers, but the question remains:  
> Who gave him the ring? And why?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for this, because I feel like it. Sometimes something this cutesy is just fun to write. Besides, there really is no fandom for this show anymore. It's kind of dead, like everyone wants to forget it existed. I can't do that, though. I need to finish this fanfic first. Lol. I hope you enjoy it! Nya~!

“The flowers want you to leave.”

Holmes and Watson stared at him. The look of pure anger on Hikari’s face is enough to let them know he isn’t kidding around.

“W-what?” Watson stammered. “Why?”

Hikari gives them a cold glare. “Because I don’t want you to hear. I don’t trust you two. Now leave before I have to force you.”

Holmes takes a breath. “Very well, then. Come on, Watson.”

Watson is stunned. “B-but Holmes, the-”

“I know,” Holmes responds. “We’ll get to the bottom of this. I don’t doubt our abilities. We don’t need Hikari to tell us the answer. We can figure it out ourselves. Now, come on.”

Watson is despondent, but he follows Holmes out of the greenhouse. Now, it’s just Ren and Hikari left inside, alone together.

“Who’s my admirer?” Ren asks. “Please, tell me.”

Hikari looks away, down at a group of flowers growing together in a pot. “Shiratori-san.”

Ren wants to continue pressuring him, but he doesn’t bother saying anything else. He stares silently, waiting for Hikari to speak on his own. He looks down at the flowers in his hand. Those beautiful purple and white flowers that someone gave to him. Someone thought he was worthy of a gift so beautiful.

“I… I’m sorry,” Hikari says after a while, “Shiratori-san.” 

“Huh?” Ren looks back up at him. “Why are you apologizing?”

“The one who gave you those flowers. The one who was so nervous, wondering if you would even appreciate a gift like that. The one who thought you were worth so much more than a bouquet of flowers, but lacked the resources to give you anything else.” Hikari stops to breath, and think about what he’s going to say next. “The one who gave you those flowers was… it was… it was me.”

Ren blinks, his eyes widening. “H-Hikari-san! It was you? It was… you’re my secret admirer?”

Hikari turns away again, hiding his face behind the hood he always wears. “Yes, I am. I gave you the flowers.”

“But… but you said-”

“I know. I lied to Holmes and Watson, but I didn’t want the whole school knowing that I did it. It’s… embarrassing.”

“Wha… why did you give me the flowers?” Ren is still caught staring at Hikari in complete wonder and disbelief. 

“Because… because of all the reasons I said before.” Hikari looks at him, his cheeks turning pink, his eyes showing pure embarrassment and misery. “You’re beautiful, just like a flower. I wanted to give you something that closely resembled that beauty. So I thought what better gift than flowers that match you? I love your hair. That shade of purple is so beautiful. I thought it looked like violets, so that’s what I gave you. And white is like your skin, and the clothing you always wear. White is a color of purity, and beauty, so I gave you alyssum. I knew you liked the smell of flowers already, when you ran in here desperate for fresh air the one day. I had a feeling you would like the gift, but I didn’t know just how much it would mean to you.” Hikari sighs. “Flowers are a traditional gift, but they’re not meant to last forever. Once you cut the stems to give them to someone, they no longer have roots, or soil. All you can do is leave them in a vase full of water and hope they live as long as possible.”

“Well, you’re definitely right about one thing.” Ren stares at the bouquet, and smiles again. “I do love the smell of flowers. I love the look of them, too. I haven’t been able to take my eyes off of these since I got them.”

Hikari smiles, though he’s turned away again, so Ren can’t see it. “I’m glad you still like the flowers, even after knowing I gave them to you.”

“Knowing who gave them to me doesn’t make them any less special.” Ren looks up at Hikari again. “It was… really sweet of you, Hikari-san. Thank you.”

“Y-you’re welcome.” Hikari stops and takes a breath. “I didn’t give you the ring, though. I don’t know who gave you that.”

Ren looks at the ring on his finger, and his smile disappears. “Wait… if it wasn’t you… who gave me this?”

Hikari doesn’t say anything. He starts tending to his own flowers again, listening to them whisper. 

“I’m sure Holmes and Watson will figure it out,” Ren says, shaking the thoughts away. 

Hikari still doesn't speak. He’s staring at a white rose, one of several that he planted. This particular one is bigger than the rest, and seems to be so white that it glows. He plucks it from its bush and stares at it, taking several breaths, trying to calm his pounding heart. He grabs a pocketknife and starts cutting the thorns off of it.

Ren is still standing there, staring at his flowers. He really does love them, no matter who gave them to him. It was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for him. 

Still, it is kind of weird that Hikari left them on his desk. Ren only remembers entering the greenhouse back when he encountered the baseball team right after practice. They had been so sweaty and smelled so bad that he ran to the greenhouse in search of fresh air. Hikari had been in there, and hadn’t bothered to kick him out or anything. 

That is the only time Ren remembers being in the greenhouse. The last time he encountered Hikari was after that, and they had fought against him. It wasn’t exactly a sweet moment; neither of them were. 

Yet Hikari had apparently thought Ren was beautiful.

That’s the other thing. He thought Ren was beautiful. He described, in detail, how nervous he was when he walked down that hallway with those flowers. That can only mean one thing:

Hikari has a crush on him.

Ren looks up at Hikari. He’s facing away from him, tending to a bush of white roses. The sight of Hikari makes his heart speed up. That boy has a crush on him. That  _ boy _ . It makes Ren feel almost guilty, how uncomfortable it makes him. Ren wants to leave. In theory, he could turn to the door and walk out. He could just say he has somewhere to be. It isn’t like he’s trapped in there.

“I should probably get going,” Ren says.

“Wait, Shiratori-san.”

Hikari stands up and turns around. He holds something out in front of him: a white rose. He’s looking away shyly, Ren can see him blushing. 

Ren’s eyes widen, and he takes a step backwards. “Hikari-san…” He cautiously reaches out to take the rose, staring in complete shock.

“Roses are beautiful, and they smell incredible, but you must be cautious when touching them, or else you might prick yourself with a thorn.” Hikari still refuses to look Ren in the eyes. “Don’t worry, though. I cut the thorns off. You won’t get hurt.”

Ren takes the rose out of Hikari’s hand, and stares at it. It is beautiful, and it does smell nice.

“Thank you,” Ren says, only to be polite. “It’s beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like it.” Hikari cracks a smile. “It’s nice to know that someone else appreciates flowers as much as I do.”

Ren returns the smile. “I should leave now. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Shiratori-san.”

Ren leaves the greenhouse, and instantly runs right into Holmes and Watson, who apparently had just gone outside without walking any further away.

“Shiratori-san,” Holmes says. He notices the rose in Ren’s hands. “You didn’t have that rose when we saw you in there last.”

“Hikari-san gave it to me.” Ren attempts to walk around them, but they block his path.

“Hikari-san gave you that rose?” Watson stares at it. “Did he… did he give you the other flowers, too?”

“No comment.” Ren tries to step around them again, to no avail.

“If you know something, Shiratori-san, then tell us,” Holmes insists. “We have a case to crack.”

“You two were trying to solve the mystery for my sake.” Ren smiles at them. “And I already know who gave me the flowers. You two don’t need to figure that out. What I do need your help with is this.” Ren holds up his hand, flashing his ring at them. “I still don’t know who gave me this ring.”

Holmes closely inspects the ring. “I know something about that ring, something that could help you out. I asked the teachers about the handwriting on the ribbon, and every teacher I asked told me that they don’t recognize that handwriting at all. It’s as if that person doesn’t even go to our school.”

Ren blinks. “Really?”

“Yes. It’s incredibly bizarre, but it’s the honest truth.” Holmes takes a breath. “That is all I have at the moment, but I will crack this case. I’ll figure out who gave you that ring.”

“ _ We’ll _ figure out who gave you that ring,” Watson corrects. “Don’t worry about a thing, Shiratori-san.”

“Thank you both so much.”

With that, Ren walks away, holding both the bouquet and the white rose tightly against his chest like he’s worried someone will take them.

It’s that time of year where the student council stays until the school closes for the day. That means the sun is setting by the time Ren starts walking down the road to his house. It doesn’t help that where he lives is surrounded by trees. Basically, it’s already dark.

He’s walking alone, staring down at that white rose that Hikari had given him. It’s a sweet gesture, a thoughtful one, yet it still makes Ren uncomfortable knowing that the rose came from Hikari. Another boy, a third year that Ren has barely spoken to. Hikari isn’t exactly the most social person, to be fair. He spends a lot of time in the greenhouse, surrounded by flowers. Ren doesn’t even remember the last time Hikari attended class.

That white rose. He admires the way the petals curl toward the center, around a focal point that Ren can’t take his eyes off of. He raises it to his nose and smells it. Roses do smell amazing. They’re one of the most fragrant flowers in the world. He closes his eyes and smells it again, and again, and again.

That flower is incredible, and so is the bouquet of violets and alyssum that Hikari gave him the day before. He can smell those, too. Which ones did Hikari say have that distinct smell? Was it the alyssum? Ren can’t remember. That scent is overpowering his mind. It’s taking over all of his other senses, too.

Ren opens his eyes, just to stare at the flowers. The beautiful arrangement of purple and white. Hikari had gotten those colors just because they matched Ren. That had to be the most thoughtful part of the entire gift. He stares at them, and smells them again.

Then a bright light filled his vision.

He looks up. Is that a car?

Are those headlights?

“SHIRATORI-SAN!”

A moment later, Ren is sprawled out on the side of the road, and the car whizzes past him without even slowing down. Someone is on top of him, someone who had been fortunate enough to knock him out of the way in time. Ren looks and sees a mess of light blond hair.

“Dracula-kun!?” Ren exclaims.

Dracula lifts his head up and stares at him. “You are lucky we live on the same road.”

He rolls off of Ren, and helps him pick up the flowers that had fallen out of his hands. A few of the bouquet’s flowers were missing petals, but other than that they were mostly unscathed.

“What are you doing out here this late?” Ren asks.

“This late? It’s only six.” Dracula stands up, and offers Ren his hand. “And I just saved your damn life. Give me a break.”

Ren takes Dracula’s hand, and is finally on his feet again. His legs feel weak from the sheer terror of almost getting hit by a car. He can’t believe he had been so careless. He had been staring at those flowers so intensely that he had wandered into the road without even realizing it.

“Still, I figured you would be home,” Ren says, unable to process anything at the moment.

“I didn’t feel like going home. I was just taking a walk when I saw you walk into the road.” He looks at him. “Let me guess: you were staring at those flowers again?”

Ren blushes. “Yes, I was.”

Dracula sighs and looks away. “You really love those things, don’t you?”

“Yes.” 

“Who gave them to you?”

Ren debates with himself. He then shrugs. “I still don’t know.”

Eventually, the reality of the situation hits Ren like a ton of bricks. “Dracula-kun, did you… by any chance… look into the future recently and see me almost get-”

“Yes.” Dracula looks at him. “Your hand touched mine when you gave me the flowers, and I saw the headlights, and then you sprawled out on the side of the road like you were dead. I was wandering up and down the street, waiting for you, so I could make sure that you didn’t get ran over.”

Ren stares at him in shock. “Dracula-kun… you did that to save my life?”

“I don’t want anything to happen to any of my fellow Butlers. We’re kind of a team.” Dracula looks away. “It was nothing, really-”

Ren throws his arms around Dracula and hugs him as tightly as he can. “You saved my life. Thank you so much, Dracula-kun.”

Dracula’s eyes widen. He's frozen in complete shock, looking like he’s being hugged by a celebrity, or a ghost, or something of that nature. Something shocking that you wouldn’t expect to hug you.

“Y-you’re welcome, Shiratori-san…” Dracula barely manages to say without stumbling over each word.

Ren releases him and smiles at him. “Oh, and Dracula?”

“Yeah?”

“You can call me Ren, if you want.”

Dracula’s eyes widen. He then shakes his head. “No way. You’re a member of the student council. Not to mention you’re a third year and I’m a first year.”

“You’re one of my fellow Butlers. We’re a team, like you said.” Ren smiles. “It’s only fitting that we treat each other as equals, if not friends.”

_ Friends.  _ Dracula is still in shock. “Uh… uh… y-yeah, okay. See you tomorrow… Ren-san.”

He stammers everything he says. He then turns and walks away as fast as he could without it being considered running. Ren starts walking down the street again, this time paying a bit more attention to where he’s going.

Though, he can’t help but glance at the flowers every now and again. They’re just that beautiful. 

A car drives by, and Ren sees something flash on his finger. He looks and sees not only the ring he had before, but the one given to him by his second secret admirer. That ring is about as beautiful as the flowers, and certainly just as captivating. Though, it’s a different kind of beautiful. Jewelry and flowers are both beautiful, despite not looking a thing like one another.

The person who gave him that ring must’ve seen him as a different kind of beautiful than Hikari did. Instead of a delicate beautiful, like a flower, they saw him as a valuable beautiful, a stronger beautiful, like stone and silver.

A very different kind of person from Hikari had given him that ring. He’s certain of that much. The question remains though: who was it?

And why?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Hikari gave Ren the flowers...  
> And I feel like I know who gave him the ring. Lol.  
> I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next one! Nya~!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren gets more flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been like six months but suddenly I got a burst of inspiration for this and I decided to write another chapter. I hope you enjoy it! Nya~!

“It’s Friday, Shiratori-senpai! You know what that means!”

Ren smiles down at him. “What does it mean?”

“It means that the next issue of the school paper is coming out! The one with your secret admirer story in it!”

A heavy sigh follows that statement, and Ren looks back in front of him, shaking his head. “I’m kind of terrified to see what Holmes and Watson put in the paper, honestly.” 

Hotaru blinks up innocently. “Why?”

“Because… if it were me, and I was leaving someone gifts and there was a story about it in the school paper, I would be so embarrassed. I certainly wouldn’t be willing to admit it was me after that.”

“That’s just you, though. Your admirer might be less shy than we think. Besides, don’t you  _ really  _ wanna know who’s giving you things?”

Ren debates with himself before saying, “I do, but embarrassing them isn’t the best way to go about doing it, I don’t think.”  _ Besides, Hikari-san is as shy as we think. He can’t stand being around people. _

_ Unless that person is me, apparently. _

“Ooh, Shiratori-senpai! You’re blushing!” Hotaru squeals and jumps up and down. “You wanna know! You really wanna know!”

“Of course I want to know.” He holds up his hand, revealing that he’s still wearing the ring, despite not knowing who gave  _ that  _ to him. “This ring is beautiful, and so are those flowers.”

“Yo! Shiratori-san!” 

Haruto joins them, falling into step beside Ren. He chuckles. “I see you managed to leave the flowers at home today.”

“Don’t tease me, please.” Though, Ren can’t hide his smiling, blushing face this time. “Yes, I did manage to leave them at home. Though part of me wants to run back and get them.”

“Ooh!” Haruto pokes his arm rather hard. “Someone really likes those flowers.”

“Someone really likes his admirer.” 

That voice belongs to none of them, and they turn to see that J managed to sneak up on them without being noticed. 

“You know, Holmes and Watson told me the most peculiar thing yesterday.” Ren stares at the ring on his finger. “They compared the handwriting on both ribbons and found out that it doesn’t match.”

“It doesn’t match?” J blinks. “Shiratori-san, does that mean-”

“You have two secret admirers!?” Haruto finishes, his eyes widening.

“That’s what they think.” Ren looks at all of them. “What’s with those smiles?”

“Shiratori-san,” Haruto claps a hand down on his shoulder. “You’re  _ really  _ popular, aren’t you?”

“You know what I think?” They all turn to look at J, who had just spoken. “I think that someone found out you got those flowers, and started to worry that you would end up with a girlfriend here soon, so they started leaving you things, too.”

“They didn’t wanna lose you, Shiratori-san,” Haruto chuckles. “Soon enough you’re going to walk in there and every girl in the school left you something.”

_ The flowers weren’t left by a girl, though.  _ Ren laughs. “I doubt it. I can barely handle the thought of two people liking me.”

“Shiratori-senpai, you’re very handsome!” Hotaru giggles. “Every girl in the school likes you!”

“Not every girl. I know at least five who like Haruto and about twenty who like J. I’m pretty much the least liked one.” Ren looks at all of them. “The order of the most liked to the least liked here is J, Haruto, Hotaru, and then me.”

By this point, they are on school property, and heading inside the building. Though, the moment they set foot through the gate, a bunch of girls rush up to them and hold them back. Ren notices something odd about every single one: they’re all holding the latest edition of the school newspaper.

Wow, Holmes and Watson. That was fast.

“You have two secret admirers!?” One girl squeals. “Oh my gosh, Shiratori-san!”

“Who are they!?” 

“The paper says you know one of them already! Who is it!?”

“Is that the ring she gave you!? Oh my gosh it’s so pretty!”

“I promise!” J says. “Shiratori-san will answer all of your questions later, but right now, we have official student council business to attend to inside the school!”

The boys struggle through the crowd until at last they make it inside of the building. 

“Thank you, J-san,” Ren stops for a breather, leaning against the wall. “I’m never going to get any time to myself today, am I?”

“I doubt it. I think this is the best-selling edition of the school paper I’ve ever seen,” Haruto looks out the windows of the school, staring at the crowd of girls, which had divided back into separate groups. Though, the one thing all of those groups had in common was they were looking through the article and most likely trying to figure out who Ren’s secret admirer is.

“Wait a minute!” Hotaru looks at Ren, pouting. “That girl said you knew one of the secret admirers already!!”

At that moment, the entire student council looks at Ren. “Dude, you know one of them!?” Haruto stares in wonder.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” J questions.

Ren blinks, and can feel his face turning red already. “Uh… I found out yesterday after school… I was going to tell you, I swear! I just, I didn’t have time, and it sort of slipped my mind while we were at the meeting…”

“Alright then, tell us now.” Haruto crosses his arms. “Who is it, Shiratori-san?”

“And more importantly, did they give you the flowers, or the ring?” J adds.

“They gave me the flowers,” Ren answers. “As for who it is… you three need to promise me something first, alright?”

“Okay.” They all step forward, eager to know the truth.

“Promise me that you won’t ask them about it, or make fun of them for it, or anything like that, alright?”

“Why would we?” Haruto ponders.

“Because the person who gave me those flowers… that person…” Ren chooses his next phrase carefully. “It isn’t a girl. It’s a guy.”

The student council blinks in wonder. “It’s a guy?” Hotaru says innocently.

“Yes, it’s a guy.”

“Which guy!?” Haruto exclaims as if he can’t fathom the idea.

“Think of who in the school really likes flowers.”

Haruto thinks for a moment, and then makes the connection. “NO WAY! IT WAS HIK-”

Ren jumps at him and covers his mouth. “Don’t yell it for the whole school to hear!” he whispers furiously.

Haruto yanks Ren’s hand away from his mouth. “It was Hikari?” he whispers.

“Yes, it was Hikari-san, but remember your promise!” Ren rests his hands over his pounding heart. 

“Why did he give you flowers?” Haruto still is unable to process the thought of a guy giving Ren flowers.

“Isn’t it obvious?” J answers for Ren. “Hikari-san has feelings for him.”

Ren can feel his face heating up.

Hotaru is looking around innocently. “Shiratori-senpai! Let’s go check your desk! Maybe there’s more gifts there!”

Grateful for Hotaru’s existence, Ren allows his wrist to be grabbed and allows himself to be dragged up the stairs to the third-year classrooms. It takes J and Haruto a few moments longer before they follow.

“Listen, I can look at Shiratori-san and say he’s a good-looking guy,” Haruto says, “but that doesn't mean I have a crush on him.”

“We know you don’t have a crush on him, but Hikari-san clearly does.” J responds. “He left him flowers.”

They enter the classroom, and find someone in there that they don't expect to see. Standing against the wall is Dracula-kun, with his arms crossed and a glare on his face. Annoyed, he gestures with his head toward Ren’s desk.

“Looks like someone decided to leave you more flowers,” he says.

Ren’s eyes wander from Dracula to his desk, and the giant bouquet of roses resting on it.

“Oh my God…” Ren is suddenly trembling as he walks over to inspect the flowers. There’s at least a dozen, if not more, pink roses in that bundle. They’re tied together with that same pink ribbon, which leads Ren to believe that that’s the only ribbon Hikari-san has access to. He had taken the time to cut the thorns off all of them.

“Wow…” J stares at the giant bouquet in wonder. 

“Hey, look,” Hotaru holds something up: a folded piece of paper. “There’s a note this time.”

Without any regard for Hotaru’s feelings, Ren rips the note out of his hand and unfolds it. Everyone tries to read over his shoulder, but Ren keeps moving, trying to keep them from seeing it.

_ You still like the flowers, even though you know who gave them to you, so I’m not going to stop leaving them on your desk. I hope it doesn’t embarrass you too much. I’ve never been the best with social cues, so I’m sorry if this is awkward. _

“What’s it say!?” Hotaru asks eagerly.

Ren still isn’t finished reading it, so he doesn’t answer.

_ This time I went with roses, like the rose I gave you yesterday. I was going to give you white roses again, but I decided that pink would be better. I also gave you more than one. _

“Shiratori-san,” J decides to try this time. “What does it say?”

Ren still doesn’t answer. He holds up his hand to try to make them stop talking.

_ I gave you pink roses because pink roses mean something. They symbolize gracefulness, happiness, and admiration. _

“Yo, Shiratori!” Dracula decides to attempt it. “What does the note say!?”

“Don’t bother,” Haruto chuckles. “He’s in La-La-Land.”

Dracula is about to object, but then notices that Haruto is right. Ren is lost in that note, reading it so intensely that it looks like his eyes might get strained. What does that note say? Why does Ren love it so much?

_ You are graceful, just like the roses say, and I admire you. I’m not sure if happiness is true, but you seemed joyful when I gave you the flowers the first time.  _

_ I’m not good with people. Flowers are a lot easier for me to understand. Flowers don’t lie, there’s no double-meaning to what they say, they don’t have all those confusing social cues and things like that. But you seem honest, and calm, and easy to understand. And you likes flowers, too. We have at least one thing in common. _

_ There’s also eleven roses there. That means something, too. Eleven roses mean that you’re telling someone you love them.  _

The note is signed with his name.

Ren is staring at it in wonder, while everyone is staring at Ren with almost frustration. Why isn’t he telling them what that note says? Is it personal or something? What did Hikari write? It must be pretty powerful, based on how much Ren is blushing right now.

And Ren himself can feel that blush. Hikari put a lot of thought into this one, didn’t he? With all the meanings of the roses and the number in the bouquet and it’s all overwhelming. Why? Why does he like Ren so much? It doesn’t make any sense. Ren’s heart is pounding as he reads over that note again and again. He can feel himself smiling, too. Flattery does that to people, and so does gifts, usually.

At last, Ren takes a breath, and everyone eagerly leans forward, wondering what he’s going to say. Will he finally tell them what that note says?

“What time is it?” he asks.

Disappointment ripples through the whole crowd of four. Dracula pulls out his phone and checks. “It’s only like seven-thirty.”

“Good. I have enough time to find a vase for all of these.” He picks up the bouquet of roses, smiling down at them. Unable to help himself, he smells them, too. They smell just as lovely as any roses.

“You could drop them off with Hikari,” Dracula crosses his arms. “He took care of your last batch of flowers.”

“I could…” Ren stares at the roses. Would it be weird to hand them off to the person who gave them to him? It couldn’t be that weird, could it?

“No he couldn’t,”Haruto gives Dracula a funny look. “Dude, Hikari gave him those flowers.”

“What!?” Dracula immediately walks over and takes the note from Ren. “Oh my God, he did.”

“Haruto!” Ren shoots a glare at him, and then looks at Dracula. “Please, don’t make fun of him for giving me flowers. It’s still really sweet and thoughtful.”

“But… but… why would he give you flowers? He doesn’t… no way.” Dracula throws his head back and laughs. “Hikari has a crush on you, doesn’t he?”

“Don’t laugh!” Ren blinks. “I can’t believe it either, but don't laugh!”

“Yeah, seriously,” J chimes in. “It must’ve taken a lot of bravery for Hikari to leave flowers on Ren’s desk the first time.”

“I mean, I did kinda think it was weird that a girl was leaving a guy flowers and not the other way around, but…” Dracula struggles to hold his laughter back. “Now that I know it was a guy leaving a guy flowers…”

“Just stop talking.” Ren looks back down at the roses, and then takes a breath. “I’m going to go leave these with him anyway. I’ll just say thank you and that I need somewhere safe to keep them until the end of the day.”

“Alright, it’s your decision.” J gives him permission, albeit indirectly. 

With that, Ren gratefully leaves the room, listening to the guys all talking about Hikari being gay behind him. The fact that they’re making it a big deal honestly makes it more awkward than it already was. Maybe Ren would be less uncomfortable if Dracula wouldn’t have laughed and if Haruto hadn’t acted like he couldn’t fathom the idea of a guy liking another guy.

The greenhouse isn’t too far, and from what Ren can see, Hikari is already in there, tending to a bunch of flowers he has growing. With a deep breath, Ren enters, clutching the giant bouquet of roses in his hand. It’s only after he opens the door that he realizes he should probably knock, so he taps on the door as it’s opening.

Hikari immediately looks up and sees him. “Hi,” he says.

“Hi.”  _ Just thank him. It’s not that hard.  _ “Thank you. For, for the flowers, I mean.”

“You’re welcome.”

_ Okay, now part two.  _ “They’re beautiful. And… and that note you wrote was really sweet, too.”

“I’m… I’m glad you like them.”

The tension in the air is so thick it could be cut with a knife. Ren struggles to think of how to word what he originally came there for, and honestly struggles to remember that as well. Why had he come in here? It wasn’t just to thank him for the flowers, it was… 

Oh, right.

“I don't have anywhere to put these,” Ren says. “I was hoping… you take really good care of flowers, so… could you hold onto them until the end of the day?”

“Of course.”

That’s the good thing about Hikari. He’s extremely straightforward and doesn’t ask a lot of questions. 

“Thank you.” Ren holds out the flowers, and Hikari gently takes them out of his hands. Though, Ren can’t help but feel when their fingers touch. Did Hikari do that on purpose? No. He didn’t. He’s not the type to do that… right?

As if he had been preparing for that interaction all morning, Hikari turns and puts the flowers in a vase he already had out. Apparently, that vase already had water in it, as well. 

“How are the first batch of flowers doing?” he asks rather nonchalantly. 

Ren smiles. “They’re doing well. They haven’t even wilted.”

Hikari looks over at Ren, and notices his finger. “I see you're wearing the ring that the other admirer gave you.”

“Yes, I am.” Ren smiles down at the ring sparkling on his finger. 

“Do you know who gave it to you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Hmm.” Hikari stares at the ring. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon.”

“I sure hope so. It’s strange knowing who gave me one thing but not knowing who gave me the other.” Ren sighs. “Anyway, thanks Hikari. I should head back up to the school building now.”

“Alright. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.”

Ren walks out just as Dracula walks by, looking somewhat annoyed. The moment he sees Ren, he changes his entire demeanor and fakes a yawn and a stretch.

“I’m heading to my nap spot,” he says.

Despite being suspicious, Ren lets it go. “Okay. Goodnight, Dracula-kun.”

“Goodnight.”

The moment Ren walks past, however, Dracula takes off at a sprint toward the greenhouse. He barges right in without so much as a knock.

“Hikari!” he shouts.

Hikari looks up, staring at him. “What?”

Dracula narrows his eyes. “You better stop giving Shiratori-san flowers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! We'll see when I update this again. Nya~!


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